New safety features for cars will save lives: EU

(BRUSSELS) - The EU Council agreed a common position Thursday on introducing legislation which will require various safety features to be included on a range of vehicles with the aim of saving lives on Europe's roads.

The Competitiveness Council's agreement on tougher rules on vehicle safety means that negotiations can now begin with the European Parliament as soon as it has adopted its position.

"These new rules, which reflect the latest technical developments, will protect and help save lives," said Austrian minister Norbert Hofer, for the EU presidency.

Under the proposed regulation, vans and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) will no longer be exempt from various safety features which until now have only been required for ordinary passenger cars. These features include tyre pressure monitoring, intelligent speed assistance, alcohol interlock, driver drowsiness monitoring and emergency stop signals.

More advanced safety measures will be required for passenger cars and light commercial cars. These include event data recorders, which store data such as the car's speed or the state of activation of the car's safety systems before, during and after a collision, and enlarged head impact protection zones capable of mitigating injuries in collisions with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Specific safety rules will apply to trucks, buses, hydrogen-powered vehicles and automated vehicles.

The Commission will be able to update the technical specifications through delegated acts to take account of future technical developments.

EU statistics show that progress in reducing road fatalities in the EU has stalled in recent years. The proposed regulation aims to limit the number of fatalities and severe injuries due to road accidents. It is part of the third "Europe on the Move" mobility package.

Once the European Parliament has adopted its own position at first reading, the Council will start negotiations with the Parliament with the aim of reaching rapid agreement.